Fence-wire lock.



No. 653,082. Patented July 3, I900. E. L. FROGGATT.

FENCE WIRE LOCK. (Application filed Oct. 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

umll

FIG.1.

W/ TNE SSE 8 N VE N 708 M I By g g A TTOHNEYS EDNVIN LAV-AJNCE FROGGATT, OF SPEARFISH, SOUTH DAKOTA.

FENCE-WI LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,082, dated July 3, 1900. Application filed Octoberll, 1899. Serial No. 738,288. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, EDWIN LAVANOE Fnoe GATT, of Spearfish, in the county of Lawrence and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Fence-l/Vire Lock,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

One object of myinvention is to provide a means whereby strands of wire fencing may be firmly, simply, and conveniently secured to a fence-post and whereby also the locking medium may be an integral portion of the post.

Another objectof the invention is to maintain the locked wire strand against lateral or vertical displacement.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective View of a-fencepost having the improvement applied thereto and illustrating the manner in which the wire strands are held in position on the post. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the post to which the improvement is applied, the tongue of the improvement being broken away. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section through a portion of the post to which the improvement is applied, illustrating the locking device as clamping the fence-wire and the fencewire as in transverse section. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the post to which the improvement is applied, illustrating the locking device in position to receive a fence- Wire; and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken practically on the line 5 5 of Fig. 8.

The post A may be of any desired shape and may be made of any material; but preferably the post is constructed of metal. Also, preferably, the post consists of a slotted back 10, a longitudinal web 11, a cap 12, and a base 13, the base being provided with downwardly-extending lugs 14 and with apertures 15, which apertures are intended to receive anchoring devices of any description.

A locking device is employed for each strand of wire that is to be secured to a fencepost, and these locking devices constitute an integral portion of the post. Under the form of post shown in the drawings the locking devices are located at the front edge of the web 11. Each locking device consists of a tongue be practically flush with the outer surface 7 of the post to which they belong. Both positions of the locking device are shown in Fig. 1.

A longitudinal rib 18 is formed upon the central portion of the inner face of each tongue 16, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, and the ribs 18 of the tongues are adapted to enter longitudinal slots 19, made in the ver-. tical walls of the recesses 17, formed in the posts by the production of the tongues. A transverse slot 20 is produced near the vertical wall of each recess 17, and said transverse slots 20 cross the vertical slots 19, as shown in Fig. 2, and at the central portion of each transverse slot 20 a semicircular horizontal depression 21 is produced.

In operation, the tongues 16 being in their normal position, the wires 22 are placed between the tongues and the vertical walls of the recesses 17, entering the transverse slots 20, as shown at the upper portion of Fig. 1. When the wires 22 are in such position, the tongues 16 are driven to an engagement with the walls of the recesses 17, as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the ribs 18 0n the tongues in entering the vertical slots 19 will kink the wires, as the said ribs will force the wires to conform to the contour of the depressions 21, made in the vertical walls of the recesses 17, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Thus it will be observed that the depressions prevent the wires from vertical displacement, while the ribs 18 on the tongues hold the wires against lateral displacement, and at the same time thewires are firmly and eifectually held in looking engagement with the post.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A fence-post provided with a tongue and a recess opposed to the tongue, into which recess the tongue is adapted to fit, a Wall of the said recess being provided with a longitudinal slot and a transverse slot having a depression between its ends, and a rib formed on the tongue, adapted to enter the longitudinal slot in the wall of the said recess and cross the depression in the transverse slot, as described.

2. A fence-post provided with a recess in an upper outer surface thereof, and a tongue at the recessed portion adapted to fit in the recess, the tongue being normally at an angle .face of the tongue, which rib is adapted to enter said longitudinal slot, crossing the depressed portion of the transverse slot, whereby a wire placed in said transverse slot will conform to the contour of said slot when the tongue is forced into said recess.

EDWIN LAVANCE FROGGATT.

Witnesses:

-CHARLES LINDSAY,

AUGUST F. HOMBURG. 

